updated 09:32 am EST, Tue February 25, 2014

LTE-equipped mid-range device 8MP, 5MP cameras

Huawei has launched its Ascend G6 4G smartphone at Mobile World Congress, among other devices. The mid-range smartphone, said to be based on the Ascend P6 in some aspects, offers LTE connectivity in a device measuring 7.85mm (0.31 inches) thick. Electronista briefly put the Ascend G6 through its paces at the trade show, and found it to be a pretty useful mobile device, albeit with some reservations.

The front is dominated by a 4.5-inch, 960x540 display with good viewing angles, giving it a pixel density of 245PPI. Measuring 7.85mm thick and weighing 115g (4 ounces), it has a grippy plastic backing and a metal surround, and does not feel flimsy at all when held.

Inside is a quad-core Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.2GHz, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Offering Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, GPS, and 2,000mAh of power, the device seems to be certainly powerful enough to drive the Android 4.2 installation, skinned with Huawei's Emotion UI.

Huawei Ascend G6 4G

Indeed, the Emotion UI could be considered the weakest aspect of the Ascend G6 4G, using Huawei's own collection of widgets, and resorting to store apps either within folders or directly on the desktop itself, instead of having a separate App section.

On the back is an eight-megapixel camera with autofocus, joined by a 5MP version, with both appearing to create clear images. Even so, the first photo had a pronounced delay between the image being taken and being able to take a second, though this was reduced with subsequent shots. The smartphone also includes a "Voice Photo" function, which records a 10-second clip of audio at the same time, in theory adding more to images taken.

Huawei Ascend G6 4G

Huawei has done well in creating the Ascend G6 4G as a mid-ranged offering. While there is an issue in how the Emotion UI operates in comparison to other Android implementations, it is really the only minor issue for the device overall.

The company will be releasing the non-LTE Ascend G6 in the first quarter, with the LTE-flavored version going on sale from April.